Briefly

UNITED STATES

Carmakers sue govt over import tariffs

Major automakers Tesla, Volvo, Ford and Mercedes-Benz have sued the US government over tariffs on Chinese goods, demanding customs duties paid on imports be returned, with interest. The lawsuits, which were filed in recent days in the New York-based Court of International Trade, concern tariffs imposed by the Office of the US Trade Representative, or USTR, on imports from China, which Tesla in its filing called "arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion". The duties came amid a wider trade dispute between Washington and Beijing, and the automakers are asking for the tariffs to be revoked and any money paid to import parts returned.

UNITED STATES

Times Square New Year party distanced

The organizers of New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square say the event will incorporate virtual elements and be scaled down and socially distant on site in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Times Square Alliance, Jamestown Properties and Countdown Entertainment said in a statement on Wednesday that a virtual experience will be created to allow people to take part in the countdown to 2021 from wherever they are. They say the annual event will have an extremely limited group of in-person honorees. The organizers say the event will honor essential workers and others who have made a difference in 2020.

CANADA

Second COVID-19 wave hits country

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday evening that a second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic has already begun in the country amid concerns over a possible national lockdown. Cases have jumped nationally in Canada, from about 300 cases per day in mid-August to 1,248 on Tuesday, prompting the government to implore Canadians and public health policymakers to redouble infection prevention efforts now or face a "very sharp and intense peak" in new cases that would likely lead to a return of national lockdowns. Trudeau said that while the outlook is grim, Canada has the tools it needs to blunt the impact of a pandemic that has already infected over 145,000 people and claimed the lives of about 9,200 in the country.

UNITED NATIONS

Climate summit to be co-hosted with UK

The United Nations and Britain said on Wednesday they would co-host a global climate summit on Dec 12, the fifth anniversary of the landmark Paris Agreement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "The climate emergency is fully upon us, and we have no time to waste. The answer to our existential crisis is swift, decisive, scaled-up action and solidarity among nations." Guterres and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were to address the issue at a climate roundtable meeting on Thursday.

Agencies - Xinhua